1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a video tape recorder, and more particularly, to a tape loading device of a video tape recorder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
According to the conventional tape loading device using parallel loading, a tape path is formed as shown in FIG. 1 when a tape loading operation has been completed. Immediately before the tape loading operation is started, loading guide posts 1a and 1b are inserted into respective openings 3a and 3b formed in the rear surface of a cassette 2 as shown by phantom lines. When the loading operation starts, the loading guide posts 1a and 1b move along the periphery of a video head cylinder 4 as shown by arrows A and B, respectively, so as to wind a tape 18 taken out of the cassette 2 around the video head cylinder 4. During the tape loading operation, guide posts 5, 6, and 7 and a pinch roller 15 move in the directions shown by arrows C, D, E, and F, respectively, thus forming a tape loop.
The tape 18 is fed from a supply reel 9 to the video head cylinder 4 through guide posts 5 and 10, a full-width erasing head 11, a guide post 12, and the loading guide post 1a. Then, the tape 18 is fed from the video head cylinder 4 to a take-up reel 16 of the cassette 2 through the loading guide post 1b, the guide post 6, a sound control head 13, a guide post 14, the gap between a capstan 8 and the pinch roller 15, and the guide post 7. Thus, the tape 18 is wound around the take-up reel 16.
In the loading guide post la, a vertical stationary post 17 and an inclined stationary post 19 for appropriately applying the tape 18 to the inclined video head cylinder 4 are mounted on a small base 20. In the loading guide post 1b, a stationary post 21 and a roller post 22 are mounted on a small base 23. In some conventional loading devices, each of the vertical stationary post 17 and the stationary post 21 is used as a roller post.
According to the above-described conventional construction, since a tape path (the height and inclination of the posts) is not completed in the course of the loading of the tape taken out of the video head cylinder 4, the tape may slip from the guide posts or may be twisted, thereby occasionally causing damage of the tape.
Furthermore, since the tape winding angle with respect to the stationary posts, for example the relative inclination stationary posts 21 and 6, is relatively large, the rate of increase in tape tension is very high at the location of the stationary posts. Therefore, the tape tension ahead of the capstan 8 becomes large. In order to reduce the fluctuation of the relative speed of the tape, it is necessary to make the capstan 8 large-sized, which results in an increase of electric power consumption. The use of the large capstan and the increase of electric power consumption are serious problems for a portable device such as a camera-integrated video tape recorder.